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A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes Chapter 3 "So, what's this all about?" Denise asked, smiling at the two handsome young men sitting in front of her. "We've been thinkin' we should have a contest," Nick pronounced. "A contest?" Denise looked from one grinning face to the other. She could tell something was up. Both looked ready to burst into laughter at any moment, and neither could sit still... although that wasn't terribly unusually. "Yeah!" Brian continued, "We have so many talented fans out there... we think it's about time we rewarded them. So we thought, 'how 'bout a contest?'" "Maybe the winner could get front row tickets to one of our concerts..." Nick suggested. "And... backstage passes," Brian added, as if the idea had just come to him. "Ooh, and maybe a private meet and greet!" Nick almost laughed. They were trying to sound like they hadn't thought of any of this before, when in reality, they'd planned every detail of the conversation. "Mmm, hmm." Denise was growing more skeptical by the minute. "And what kind of contest would this be?" "I dunno..." Nick paused, "Maybe, say, best fanfic?" Denise groaned. Nick was obviously still reading those things. "Do you know how many of those there are?" "Actually," Brian laughed, "I think he does!" "And who's going to determine who wins?" Denise asked, knowing what the answer would likely be. "Well, we thought you would!" Nick grinned at her. "But, tell ya what... we'll help you narrow it down, weed some of 'em out." Denise still thought they were up to something, but she wasn't sure what. "OK - here're the rules. No offensive or graphic sex, language or violence." Brian and Nick nodded in agreement. "Originality counts. So does spelling and grammar." The boys grinned. She was such a mom! "Anything else?" "Nope." Nick shook his blond head. "Sounds good to me," Brian agreed, a smile tugging at his mouth. "OK, so get to work," Denise ordered. Brian and Nick stood to leave her office. They'd started out the door when Nick paused and turned back to Denise, placing a bound booklet on her desk. She looked down at the heavy parchment paper of the front page, and read the classic-style font of the title: "Once Upon a Time" A Backstreet Boys Fanfic by The Angel of Music. "What is this?" she asked as Nick joined Brian by the door. "Oh... nothin' much. Just the winning story," Nick casually said. They headed out of the office and Denise could hear them laughing all the way down the hall.Monday was an administrative day... meetings, library time and the like. Kristy checked her email, smiling as she read and answered Toni's note. "I'm so glad you're finally going to quit that wretched job! They don't deserve someone as talented as you! ... So, does this mean you can come out and visit before you start your new job?" Kristy and Toni had been talking about meeting in person for awhile and this was the perfect opportunity. "Talk to you soon, Kristy PS - Loved the latest chapters of 'Nowhere to Run'!" Next she opened a note from "Frack." "Hey darlin'. Did you have a good time campin'? Did you have a campfire to keep you warm at night... or did you just think of me? (Can't blame a guy for dreamin'!)" Kristy laughed out loud and thought, "Silly boy!" "Yeah, it's good to be home, although, we leave again tomorrow... yep, more business. But at least we're stayin' in the US this time. Oh, BTW, Frick says 'HI!' and to let you know he'll write to you later. So, I have to tell you something and I don't want you to get upset. Promise?" "Uh oh!" Kristy thought, "This doesn't sound good." "I was cruisin' around on the web last night and I wandered across a contest for fanfics... and I submitted yours!" "You didn't!" was Kristy's first thought. "I was debating whether I should tell you or not, but I figured that you'll probably win, so you should be prepared when they contact you. I don't remember the site, but I think it was some radio station or something, so it sounded legit. I'll be crossin' my fingers for ya... Frick says him too! Well, I gotta go pack. Talk to ya soon darlin'. - Frack"Denise called Nick and Brian into her office. "I want to know a couple things," she started as they sat down. "First, have you found any other stories yet?" Brian and Nick frowned, clearly disappointed by this. Denise continued, "'Cause unless they're as incredible as this one, I don't want you to waste my time." The boys grinned like kids on Christmas. "Second, I don't suppose you'd know how I'm supposed to get a hold of this 'Angel of Music' would you?" Nick smiled smugly as he handed her a printed page from Kristy's last email to him, with her email address at the top. "Why am I not surprised?" Denise asked. "Third, you both have girlfriends... what are you hoping for by meeting her in person?" Brian smiled. "Didn't you read the story? It should be pretty obvious." "I want to hear it from you." Denise waited for them to continue. "We've been emailing back and forth for almost a month now and she IS her character," Nick started. Brian finished, "And you have to admit, she has Kevin down perfectly. So we just thought..." Denise laughed. She too had been very impressed with the story... colorful narrative, vivid descriptions, strong plot and rich characters. She couldn't help but smile when she read Kevin's descriptions... it was almost eerie how well the writer had captured his personality, style and dreams. "I'll set it up. And let's just keep this between us, OK?"Next: Chapter 4 |